After 500 years of colonization and occupation, Canada's aboriginal native people are still

struggling for their rights on their very own land, while prime minister heads for China to sell

energy resources from the world's second largest land mass country.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with First Nations leaders in a historic summit before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later to Beijing via London, on Tuesday night.
In his opening remarks, he told the summit that the government would not be scrapping the Indian Act, which Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo described as a road block to collaboration.
Harper said aggressive action was needed to improve the living standards for Canada’s First Nations, but that the Act would be modernized rather than scrapped.
“That will be our approach, to replace elements of the Indian Act with more modern legislation and procedures, in partnership with provinces and First Nations,” he said.
Harper said it was time First Nations enjoyed the same standard of living as other Canadians.
In his opening remarks, Atleo said improvements were needed urgently and First Nations were insistent on a new and better relationship between their communities and the federal government.
“Next must come new fiscal relationships that guarantee and deliver sustainable, equitable services based on mutually agreed standards and shared responsibility,” Atleo said.
Atleo described the Act as an outdated obstacle to meaningful improvements to relations.
-(Canada Times,January 25th, 2012)

Oil reserves in Canada were estimated at 179 billion barrels (28×10^9 m3) in 2007. This figure includes oil sands
reserves which are estimated by government regulators to be economically producible at current prices using current technology. According to this figure, Canada's reserves are third only to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Although the IEA
insists on Canada's Reserves as being listed as 179 billion barrels, many experts including former CEO of Shell Canada,
Clive Mather estimate it to actually be two trillion barrels or more, essentially 8 times more than Saudi Arabia. Over 95%
of these reserves are in the oil sands deposits in the province of Alberta. Alberta contains nearly all of Canada's oil sands
and much of its conventional oil reserves. The balance is concentrated in several other provinces and territories. Saskatchewan and offshore areas of Newfoundland in particular have substantial oil production and reserves.
Alberta has 39% of Canada's remaining conventional oil reserves, offshore Newfoundland 28% and Saskatchewan 27%,
but if oil sands are included, Alberta's share is over 98%.